A Guide for Creating Accessible PDFs

PDF Accessibility Guidelines

1. Begin with an accessible source document

   Google Docs, Word, Powerpoint, etc. have accessibility features to ensure your source document is as accessible as possible. 

   1. Use structured styles in your document:
      • Proper header levels (H1-H6)
      • Lists, paragraphs, and paragraphs using built-in tools (bullet points or numbers)
      • Avoid any manual formatting 
   2. Add alt text for any meaningful images, graphs, logos, or icons
   3. Use descriptive hyperlink text (Some examples: don't copy and paste a link directly into your document, or use unhelpful text like “click here”.)
   4. Ensure sufficient color contrast, with dark text on light backgrounds or light text on dark backgrounds
      
      
   5. Use readable, accessible fonts (e.g. Arial, Verdana) and avoid all caps or italics.
   6. Utilize built-in accessibility features within your source document.

2. When converting to PDF, ensure that you use settings that retain accessibility formats and tags

   • Use “Save as PDF” or “Export as PDF” with the accessibility or tagging options enabled
   • Avoid “Print to PDF” as it removes Tags

3. PDFs must have proper Tags in order for them to be considered accessible

   Tags give PDFs their structure. To use proper Tagging:

   • Verify or add tags using Adobe Acrobat Pro
     1. To check for Tags: 
        1. Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro
        2. Go to View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags
        3. If Tags are in your PDF, you will see 
     2. If tags are missing: 
        1. Use Tools > Accessibility > Autotag Document
        2. Acrobat will then apply basic Tags and structure to the content
   • Common Tags:
     1. Heading Tags (<H1> to <H6>): Begin with <H1> as main title, then use the rest in order (<H2>, <H3>, and so on). Using heading tags out of order will confuse screen readers.
     2. List Tags (<L>, <LI>, <LBody>): Lists help to organize information. <L> wraps the whole list, with each list item tagged as <LI>, and the content of each item wrapped using <LBody>.
     3. Paragraph Tags (<P>): Indicates standard reading text, and will be most of the document's regular text.
     4. Link Tags (<Link>): Hyperlinks are identified with <Link> Tags.

4. Check the reading order using read aloud features within your document

   The reading order is the sequence in which the content will be read aloud.

   • To check reading order in Adobe Acrobat:
     1. Open your PDF in Acrobat
     2. Go to Tools > Accessibility > Reading Order
     3. Numbered boxes will appear showing the reading order; if numbers do not follow the correct order, click and drag boxes into the correct order.
   • Different documents have read aloud features. Prior to completing the document, use the feature to check reading order and ensure accessibility for a screen reader.

5. Set the document title and language

   • You can do so in Adobe Acrobat by accessing File > Properties > Description/Advanced
   • Ensure the document is searchable (utilize OCR feature if scanned)

6. Ensure tables and forms are accessible within your PDF

   • Table accessibility: must have clearly defined header rows and simplified structures. In Adobe Acrobat:
     1. Right-click the table tag > choose Table Editor.
     2. Ensure tables are tagged as <Table>
     3. Ensure the first row is tagged as <TH> (table header), and all other cells are tagged as <TD> for table data
     4. Add a summary as alt text to define object properties
   • Form accessibility: must be operable by keyboard, follow a logical tab order, and have accessible labels.
     1. Use Tools > Prepare Form to edit form fields
     2. In each field, ensure a meaningful label is entered, and logical field names and tabe order are used.

7. Use the Accessibility Checker in Acrobat

   This feature identifies any accessibility issues (e.g. missing tags, color contrast issues, missing alt text). 

   1. In Acrobat, go to Tools > Accessibility > Full Check
   2. Review the report, and expand flagged items to resolve errors.